After almost two years in the making, a standardized performance measure set for health care staffing firms is close to implementation and that’s good news. Countless individuals devoted their time, resources and critical thinking throughout the six-month pilot study. Four of them share their views in the article in this issue.
Thanks to the 20 organizations and their branch sites that volunteered to be pilot study sites. I know the commitment and hard work that was involved, and I thank the staff at those organizations for collecting data, completing the required reports and hosting the on-site visits. Thanks also to guidance from the Health Care Staffing Services Performance Measure Expert Panel during the entire process.
Performance measurement is the key to demonstrating improvement. Using standardized performance measures, staffing firms and their clients will—for the first time—be able to make apples-to-apples comparisons. The good news is, as a Joint Commission-certified health care staffing firm, you will soon have one more tool to use to distinguish yourself from your
non-certified competitors.
Michele M. Sacco, MS
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Joint Commission-certified health care staffing firms and firms seeking initial certification will be required to adopt a set of three standardized performance measures to meet the requirements for certification, effective January 1, 2008.
Here is the measure set:
- Do Not Return – Clinical
- Do Not Return – Professional
- Completeness of Personnel File
When implemented, the standardized measures will replace non-standardized measures, and performance measure requirements will include collection of monthly data for each measure in the set. Staffing firms should familiarize themselves with the Health Care Staffing Services Performance Measurement Implementation Guide, 2nd Edition, on The Joint Commission website.
Until December 31, 2007, certified staffing firms are only required to identify, collect and analyze data on one non-standardized measure; and report performance measure data and a summary of their performance improvement activities on an annual basis.
Twenty staffing firms participated in a six-month pilot test of three standardized measures for the Health Care Staffing Services Certification Program that concluded in January. In April, the findings were shared with the Health Care Staffing Services Performance Measure Expert Panel and then with the pilot sites.
From the field
Ruth Stiehl, Ph.D., R.N., vice president of Quality Management, Professional Placement Resources, Inc., Jacksonville Beach, Fla., was glad to participate in the pilot study. “We participated because we believe performance improvement measures are extremely important. We wanted to be on the cutting edge in helping to develop meaningful PI measures. We came to firmly believe that the best way to measure hospital satisfaction is to look at some things that may be hard to measure. We also continue to monitor Do Not Hire/Return and termination data.”
Sam Osman, administrator, Premier Nursing Services, Long Beach, Calif., believes that participating in the pilot study was beneficial for his organization. “Our staff worked as a team to build a strategy for encouraging hospitals to report Do Not Returns and, on the other side, to encourage our nurses to come forward for counseling and coaching. Instead of telling our nurses what they needed to do, we started asking them what they thought they could do to improve and reduce the DNR rate. With this attitude, we had much better results with individuals with DNRs.”
Sue LaBonté, R.H.I.A., C.H.P., Quality Assurance manager, Favorite Healthcare Staffing, Inc., Overland Park, Kansas, says the pilot required a commitment of time and resources, but believes the end result will be worth the additional efforts. “It is exciting to be on the ground floor of a project of this importance to our industry. Developing performance measures is one step toward standardization that will help raise the bar for our industry. Performance measures provide a significant
benchmark for clients and temporary employees to use in assessing quality staffing firms.”
Tina Simpson, R.N., B.S.H.A., clinical liaison, Infinity Healthcare Staffing, LaGrange, Ill., believes that having standardized measures will hold staffing firms to a higher standard, but also level the playing field. “Some staffing firms already monitor these areas, and take safety, quality and competency very seriously, but others may not be so diligent. There currently is no way for our clients to know the difference between staffing firms until they have worked with them. Standardized measures can help assure clients that those employees providing hands-on care are qualified and competent.”
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Mark R. Chassin, M.D., M.P.P., M.P.H., has been appointed to lead The Joint Commission as its next president, effective January 1, 2008.
Dr. Chassin is the Edmond A. Guggenheim Professor of Health Policy and Chairman of the Department of Health Policy at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, and Executive Vice President for Excellence in Patient Care at The Mount Sinai Medical Center. Prior to joining Mount Sinai, he served as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health. He is a board-certified internist and practiced emergency medicine for 12 years.
Dennis S. O’Leary, M.D., who has led The Joint Commission for the past 21 years, will become President Emeritus on January 1, 2008. For more information on Dr. Chassin, visit www.jointcommission.org.
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The 2008 Health Care Staffing Services Certification Manual will be published in October, and staffing firms can look forward to a manual that is clearer and easier to use. According to Kelly Fugate, associate director, Division of Standards and Survey Methods, “The changes are based on feedback from customers, reviewers, our Health Care Staffing Advisory Group and an internal team.
The internal team really focused on making sure the manual flows logically.” Key changes include:
- Duplicative or non-essential Elements of Performance have been removed.
- Introductions to chapters have been rewritten to make them clearer.
- Standard LD.4, which dealt with budget issues, has been removed.
- New appendices cover credentialing, conducting a root cause analysis and documents required for a certification review.
The new manual takes effect January 1, 2008. Certified health care staffing firms will receive one free copy of the new manual; additional copies may be ordered. For more information, go to www.jcrinc.com.
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The Joint Commission has postponed the periodic performance review (PPR) requirement scheduled for implementation effective July 1, 2007. The Joint Commission is reviewing the PPR; more information will be forthcoming.
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Joint Commission Requirements is a free listing of standards, policy revisions and requirements published in The Joint Commission Perspectives that have gone into effect since the manual was last issued.
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The Joint Commission’s Health Care Staffing Services Certification program is hosting complimentary breakfast briefings for staffing firms that are not yet certified. The briefings run all year throughout the country. For details, visit www.jointcommission.org/hcsbriefings.
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Be on the lookout for a readership survey coming via e-mail in August. We want your feedback about Staffing Certification News and what we can do to improve its value and usefulness.
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Health Care Staffing Services Certification Workshop
October 23, Philadelphia, Pa. To register, call JCR Customer Service, (877) 223-6866.
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The Joint Commission will exhibit or speak at the following conferences.
Nursing Management Congress
Chicago, Ill.
September 16-18
Staffing Industry Analysts
Chicago, Ill.
September 24-27
Staffing World
San Antonio, Texas
October 9-12
Texas Association for Healthcare Quality
San Antonio, Texas
October 18 - 19
American Association for Respiratory Care
Orlando, Fla.
December 1-4
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